title: Surprisingly uneven distribution of the T cell receptor V beta repertoire in wild mice.
abstract: We have examined TCR V beta expression in a collection of wild mice. Many of the mice were homozygous for a large deletion at the V beta locus, and many animals also suppressed expression of several V betas using self superantigens. Expression of V beta 8.2 was unexpectedly suppressed by a self superantigen in some wild mice, which was due to the presence in these animals of a variant V beta 8.2 gene. The amino acid changes in this gene product suggest contact sites between V beta and the superantigen. Although all V betas are expressed within each wild mouse population, individual mice have a limited and variable V beta repertoire. The independent origin of multiple V beta deletions and the presence of polymorphic self superantigens suggest that this variation may be maintained by balancing selection.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Medicine, Denver, Colorado 80206.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pullen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Potts
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Wakeland
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kappler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marrack
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D015870:Gene Expression; D005796:Genes; D006239:Haplotypes; D051379:Mice / Q000276:immunology*; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell